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Educators Embrace Common Core State Standards

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

According to polling (and common sense), educators and school leaders are the most trusted sources of information for the general public on what is going on in education. From Florida to California and everywhere in between, teachers are speaking out and sharing what the Common Core State Standards mean for them, their profession and their students.

Local educators embrace Common Core standards

By Annie Martin, The Daytona Beach News-Journal May 20, 2013

"'At the classroom level, that means students are taught more of the reasons behind what they're learning under Common Core rather than simply memorizing a procedure such as multiplying numbers, said Joeli Spengler, an academic coach at Longstreet Elementary in Daytona Beach.

"'I feel our kids are going to have a better education,' she said.

"Spengler also believes children who move from one state to another will have an easier time making the transition to a new school once most states have fully adopted Common Core standards."

Common Core collaboration among local teachers 'unprecedented'

By Courtenay Edelhart, The Bakersfield Californian May 19, 2013

"Although Common Core goes into great detail about what students should know when, the state Board of Education hasn't dictated how teachers should teach the new standards, nor has it provided a curriculum or instructional materials.

"That's meant school districts across the state have had to come up with curricula on their own -- a tall order for districts smarting from years of state funding cuts.

"In Kern County, some districts have joined forces to tackle the problem together."

And,

"'It's an unusual approach for districts that are friendly rivals, said Fruitvale Junior High School Principal Leslie Roberts.

"'We have several districts involved who are very competitive as far as test scores go,' she said. 'Normally we're saying we want to be better than another one, but that's not the goal this time.

"'Right now we all want to help each other because that's what's best for the kids.'

"Greg Adkins, a participant who teaches at Granite Point Elementary School in the Greenfield district, said in his professional life, this level of collaboration is unprecedented.

"'I can't ever recall anything where you had four districts working together on something this comprehensive,' he said. 'That's really amazing.'"

"Now in their third year with the new standards, Armour is focused on implementing them across content areas like science and social studies. 'It's a process,' says Cordova. 'You can't do it all at once.'

"That patience has paid off. Reading scores at the school are improving, and previously hesitant staffers have embraced the Common Core.

"'Sometimes we don't give teachers the ability to be creative, so when they were given that ability, they were a little unsure about the process, because it's always been a little more scripted for them,' Cordova says.

"'It was a completely different way of teaching,' says Armour teacher Leslie Roach, a self-described 'biggest complainer' about the standards when they were introduced. 'Now I look at it as, it's kind of nice to not be tied down to having to teach in a certain way or use certain books.'"

May budget offers big boost to common core

By Tom Chorneau, SIA Cabinet Report May 15, 2013

"The new common core curriculum standards in math and English - which provide guidance to teachers, textbook publishers and parents as to what students should know and when - were adopted by the state in 2010. While most educators are enthusiastic about the new curriculum, fiscal challenges have prohibited many schools from even starting the implementation process."

And,

"'Common Core is a challenging intellectual exercise that our 330,000 teachers are going to have to go through,' Brown told reporters. 'It's going to take training, it's going to take time and that money is wise to have around. Some of the states are having difficulty with implementation, and that's what we're doing.'"

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Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core. If you find a news clip supportive of the Common Core, please send it to Chad Colby at ccolby@achieve.org.

Who We Are

Achieve is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization dedicated to working with states to raise academic standards and graduation requirements, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability.